Gustave s



(No Model.)

G. S. NEU.

BOILER FEEDER.

No. 394,715. Patented Dec. 18, 1888.

INVENTOR %0.%W

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE S. NEU, OF NElY YORK, N. Y.

B O|LER-FEEDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 394,715, dated December 18, 1888.

Application filed February 21, 1888. Serial N0. 264,870. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAVE S. XEL', of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Boiler-Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in automatic feeders for boilers and other liquidreservoirs wherein the feed-governing valve, which may be the power-supply valve of a feed-pump or a direct-feed cut-off valve, is antomatically closed or opened, according as the liquid in the reservoir reaches the upper or lower limit from and by a float arranged to rise and fall with the liquid th rough mechanical valve-operating devices.

The principal object of this improvement is to insure the prompt and complete closing and opening of the feed-governin g valve when the liquid in the reservoir reaches the predetermined upper and lower limits, respectively, and thus avoid wire-drawing of the steam or other fluid passing through the said valve.

This end I attain by the mechanism illustrated in and hereinafter described wit-h reference to g the accompanying drawings, forming part of i this specification, in which- Figure l is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of an automatic feeder embod ying my improvement applied to a boiler; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional elenected by short pipes P P, respectively above and below the normal level of the liquid therein, a vertical gage-cylinder, Q, in which the liquid will rise to the level of the liquid in the boiler. The cylinder Q is made steam-tight, and its upper head is provided with a stuffi11g-boX,Q,in which is arranged to work vertically and turn laterally with as little resistance as possible a rod, R, carried by a weighted float, 5, adapted to rise and fall with the liquid in the cylinder.

On the rod R, outside the cylinder, are placed apart two adjustable collars, S S, provided with set-screws T for locking them in the desired position on the rod. The upper collar, S, is so adjusted on the rod as to disengage, as a tripper, the catch F from the forked lever E and release the arm of the selfaoting feed-governing valve C, when the liquid in the reservoir rises to the set upper limit, so that the valve C will immediately close and prevent a further rise of the liquid.

An engine-cylinder, G, containing a piston having a piston-rod, H, is connected by a pipe, J, directly with the gage-cylinder Q above the liquid-level, so as to receive a steamsupply from the boiler, and the piston-rod H vation of a part of the same, taken on the line a, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures. The conduit A, which may be assumed to be either a feed-pipe leading directly into the boiler B or the steam-supply pipe of a pump for feeding the boiler, is furnished with a cutoff valve, 0, and the latter with a weighted or, it may be, spring-actuated operating-arm, D, adjusted in this instance to automatically and completely close the valve C when released. A forked lever, E, is arranged to antomatically engage the valve arm D when moved to fully open the valve, and a catch, F, to likewise engage the lever E and restrain the valve in. its open position, substantially as described in an application for a valve-con troller filed by me January 27, 1888.

To the boiler Bis attached, and with it conis connected with the valve-arm D. so as, when steam is admitted to the cylinder, to throw said valve-arm in opposition to its actuating-weight into the restraint of the catch F, and thus open the valve C.

The engine supply-pipe J is furnished with T a small threeway cutotf valve, I, having its third way connected with an exhaust-pipe, L, with which is also connected a cylinder ventpipe, M, and provided with an operating-arn1, K, arranged to be engaged and restrained so as to hold the valve 1 closed by a forked lever, N, and self'acting catch 0, substantially as set forth in my previous application before referred to. A rod, 1, is pivot-ally connected at one end to the secondary valve-arm K, and its other end arranged to work freely in an eye, m, on the main valve-arm D, while a coiled spring, 21, is placed 011 the rod Z between the eye m and a collar, 0, on the rod below said eye, so that when the main valvearm D is released and swings automatically l by its weight to close its valve 0 it will place the spring n under compression.

The lower collar, S, on the float-rod R is adjusted so as to trip the secondary catch 0 and free the valve-arm K, when the liquid in the boiler falls to the lower set limit. The arm K, being acted upon by the compressed spring n, will be thus thrown so as to open the valve I and admit steam to the engine, which will then operate to open the main valve G and feed the boiler, as before described. V

A lever, a, pivoted to a fixed bracket or sup port, I), is arranged to project transversely over the main valve-arm D, and to be struck thereby near its pivotal front 0, as best shown in Fig. 2, as the arm D is about engaging with the forked lever E. The outer end of the lever a is formed with an eye to receive loosely the upper end of a draw-rod, d, which proj ects up through the lever a, and is threaded at its end to receive a screw-nut, 6, between which-servin g as an adjustable collarand the lever to is interposed a cushioning-spring, f. The lower end of the draw-rod d is in a similar manner connected yieldingly with the 'arm K of the engine-controlling valve 1, so that the lever a, when moved by the main valve-arm D, will, through the rod d, throw the secondary valve-arm K again into the restraint of its catch 0 and close the steamsupply valve I just as it is itself locked in place by the catch F and forked lever E.

The closing of the steam-supply valve I opens the exhaust-way thereof, so as to leave the engine-piston and main valve-arm D free to operate when again released.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with a liquid-reservoir, a supplyconduit, an armed main supplyvalve, and an engine connected with a source of power and adapted to operate the main supply-valve, of a spring-actuated or weighted armed secondary valve in the power-supply connection of the engine, a catch for restraining the secondary valve, and a float carrying a tripper adapted to disengage the secondary valve-restraining catch, substantially as described. v

2. The combination, with a liquid-reservoir, a supply-conduit, an armed supply-valve, and motors arranged both for opening and for closing the valve, of a catch arranged to restrain the valve-opening motor, another catch arranged to restrain the valve-closing motor, a float, and two trippeis carried by the float and adjusted to disengage the respective 'restraining-catches and start the valve-closing and valve-opening motors, when and according as the liquid in the reservoir reaches the upper and lower limits, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a liquid-reservoir, a supply-conduit, an armed supply-valve, and a motor for operating the valve, of a catch arranged to restrain the valve, a float carrying a rod, a catch-tripper mounted adjustably on the rod, and means for locking the tripper in place thereon, substantially as described.

4. The combinatiomwith aboiler, of a steamtight gage cylinder connected thereto and having a stuffing-box in its head, a weighted float arranged'to rise and fall in the cylinder with the liquid therein, and having a rod mounted to play lengthwise and rotate freely in the'stuffing-box, a tripper carried by the rod outside the cylinder, a movable catch arranged to be struck by the said tripper, a boiler feed-governing valve adapted to be restrained by the catch, and a motor arranged to operate said valve automatically when released from the catch, substantially as described. 5. The combination, with a liquid-reservoir, a supply-conduit, and an armed main supplyvalve, of a weight or spring-motor arranged to operate the valve in one direction, an engine connected with a source of power arranged to operate the valve in opposition to its weight or spring-motor, an armed secondary valve adapted to control the power-sup} ply to the engine, a lever arranged to be struck by the main valve-arm, an operating-rod connecting the secondary valve-arm with said lever, and means for restraining and for releasing the arm of the main valve, substantially as herein shown and described.

6. The combination, with a liquid-reservoir, a supply-conduit, an armed main supply-valve, a weight for operating the arm ofsaid valve, and means for restraining and releasing said arm, of an engine arranged to throw the" main valve arm in opposition to its weight, an armed secondaryvalve for controlling the engin a catch for restraining the secondary valve, means for releasing the same, a spring arranged to be compressed by the main valvearm when thrown by its weight, and to operate the secondary valve when released, and devices whereby the secondary valve is operated in opposition to said spring from the engine, substantially as described.

GUSTAVE s. NEU. 

